


Fort Blanket

by demonsushi01



Series: Klance Trope Month 2k20 [4]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Homesick Lance (Voltron), M/M, POV Lance (Voltron), Pillow & Blanket Forts, Pining, Pining Lance (Voltron), Touch-Starved, Touch-Starved Lance (Voltron), and then never tell them about it, repurposing your friends things to make a blanket fort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:47:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24012337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/demonsushi01/pseuds/demonsushi01
Summary: Day 04. Touch StarvedLance finds himself missing home and his family and when he looks at his friends for comfort he can't find much there for him. So, of course, he builds himself a pillow fort, and Keith catches him in the act, and bonding between the two happens. Maybe even something deeper?
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Series: Klance Trope Month 2k20 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1727086
Comments: 18
Kudos: 320
Collections: Voltron Stars🌌





	Fort Blanket

If there’s one thing Lance misses the most about being in space, it’s his family. Now, that’s not saying he _wishes_ his family were here with him on the castleship. He knows each person would get into far too much trouble, even without meaning to, with _maybe_ Veronica as the exception with her Garrison training. And that’s a big maybe. 

Missing his family also doesn’t mean he wishes he was home either, though he often voices the contrary much to deaf ears. He’s serving as an important role in an intergalactic space war as an apparent ‘chosen one’. Going home means turning his back on a number of people so high he physically can’t comprehend. Going home means putting his family in danger because there’s no way the Galra wouldn’t attack the planet they call home if they didn’t keep luring them away with the liberation of _other_ planets.

Missing his family means he craves their presence, their laughter, their warmth, and hugs. _God_ their hugs. No one on this ship hugs, except Hunk. But the guy has been busy lately. Busy cooking, busy baking, busy taking something apart for Pidge, busy putting stuff together because of Pidge. His hugs have become more fleeting than before, a quick bone-crushing squeeze that settles Lance’s skin before he’s gone.

It’s not enough.

He sits next to Pidge while they play their video games, wondering how they cope with the loss of their family. Occasionally Pidge will nudge him with their arm trying to push him out of the way when he’s winning, sometimes sitting close enough he can feel the warmth of their leg near his. They’re not touchy-feely, he respects that. It doesn’t stop him from reaching out and messing their hair up if it means they whine and bat at him like his niece and nephew. 

It’s still not enough.

Sometimes after a rough bout of training where he has to peel himself off the floor and hope he doesn’t have a concussion, Shiro will lend him a helping hand. It’s strong, it’s confident, and it trips Lance out how this guy is even _real_. This guy who he had posters of in his room, this guy who had records Lance would stare in awe over, this guy who was his inspiration, his _hero_ , is actually here in the flesh. He’s here giving commands and orders, gentle talks, and encouraging speeches. He’s patting Lance’s back in reassurance, giving him a squeeze on his shoulder for a job well done, pulling him up off the ground when he falls. 

But it’s still not enough.

Coran and Allura don’t seem to understand why humans _want_ to be so close. They don’t quite understand the hugs, the shoulder pats, the playful shoves, they find it all strange. They seem perfectly content to just be in one another’s space, seeing the other in the same room. Lance can’t tell if it’s an Altean thing or if it’s an Allura and Coran thing. Heck, maybe it’s an Allura, Coran, and _Keith_ thing because Keith doesn’t seem to get the closeness that Lance needs. He even flinches sometimes under the touches but lets them happen and waits for it to end, even from Shiro. 

So it’s not enough.

His skin crawls and his soul aches and he misses his family. Lance finds himself in quite a deep rut right now. He’s antsy, twitchy, wanting to be with his team and wanting his family and wanting, wanting, wanting. 

Naturally, he steals everyone’s blankets. Their blankets, their pillows, their sheets, he takes them all and dumps them into his room while everyone is scattered about the castle doing who knows what. He has the urge to surround himself, to nest, to be buried under it all. He’s built himself a pretty decent pillow fort but he’s missing Keith’s things. So he slips out and raids Keith’s room. 

He notices the spartan design of his room. Heck Shiro has more life in _his_ than Keith does. You could tell Shiro attempts to _sleep_ in there if nothing else. But Keith has nothing. Blank walls, perfectly made bed, empty floors. Lance briefly thinks he stepped into an unused room when he sees Keith’s red jacket folded and laid neatly at the foot of his bed.

“Weirdo.” Lance murmurs like a hypocrite. He tucks the pillow under his arm, grabbing the blanket and sheets and making sure to leave Keith’s jacket behind. He slips out of Keith’s room and nearly runs into the guy.

“Oh! Hey K--”

“What are you doing in my room?” He asks, accusatory. 

“Nothing, don’t worry.”

“...Are those my sheets?”

“...No.” Lance lies and tries to slowly back away towards his room.

“What are you doing with my sheets, Lance?” Keith matches him, step for step. So Lance yelps and darts into his room. He’s not as fast with his arms full so Keith manages to slip in before Lance can close the door.

Keith stares at the grand fort Lance has built. Lance is still holding Keith’s things in his arms and is trying to figure out what to do about this situation.

“...Oh my god. Are you stealing everyone’s shit?” He looks at Lance.

“No!” Lance denies. Keith gestures to the fort and then to his blankets in Lance’s arms. Lance at least has the decency to look away, somewhat ashamed by his actions. 

“I was going to return it.” 

“Were you?”

“...Maybe.” Lance winces and dumps Keith’s stuff onto his floor. He groans but doesn’t move to get his stuff. Instead, he looks back at the fort and frowns, obviously thinking silently about something.

“Look, I know it’s weird but --”

“You need to fortify that side wall.” Keith cuts him off.

“I -- What?”

“That wall’s gonna collapse at any minute.” Keith points to the sagging portion of his fort.

“You realize it’s blankets and pillows right? There’s only so much I can do.” Lance rolls his eyes.

“...Wait here then.” Keith then slips out of the room, leaving Lance confused. When Keith returns he’s dragging chairs from the dining room behind him. He passes the two to Lance and starts retreating again.

“Wait, what am I supposed to do with this!?” He calls out.

“Put it in your room for now!” Keith replies, slipping around a corner. 

“He finds _my_ fort and then rebuilds it _his_ way,” Lance mumbles and sets the chairs in his room. Keith comes back with another two chairs and a floating tray holding four bowls bouncing in front of him. 

“Here.” He hands Lance the other chairs and pushes the tray inside.

“Okay seriously, what are the chairs for?” Lance asks.

“Taller walls. That way you can actually sit up in your damn fort.”

“Who says I want taller walls?” He crosses his arms.

“You stole my shit, I feel I should get a say in how it gets used.” Keith crosses his arms too. Lance groans but relents because he doesn’t want to start a fight.

In the end, he takes the whole thing apart and Keith looks over the building materials. They end up both going to some of the unused rooms on this floor and stealing more pillows at Keith’s suggestion of a plush floor to sit on. Lance, wanting to know how the hell Keith plans to pull that off, goes ahead and nabs more pillows while Keith disappears for more chairs. 

Keith lays the pillows out on the floor and takes one of the fitted sheets, he lays it upside down over the pillows, pinning the edges down with the chairs. He also carefully sets one of the chairs in the center of the plush floor, adjusting the seat to be taller than the others. The two of them strategically lay the blankets and pillows as they like around on the plush floor and Lance’s bed. Keith lets Lance toss the final blanket over the top of the chairs, a tent is formed. With the bowls Keith grabbed earlier, he places one bowl on every corner chair, pinning the blanket in place. 

They both step back and admire their craftsmanship. It had been ages since Lance last built a pillow fort but it was never _this_ fancy. He glances over to Keith who seems a bit lost in thought. Lance nudges his shoulder against Keith, jostling him out of his reverie.

“You okay?”

“I don’t think I’ve built a fort in years,” Keith says, looking at Lance. 

“Wanna… join me in it?” Lance offers. Keith hesitates, the way he always does when he’s asked to do more intimate bonding with individuals that aren't fistfights. 

“Sure.” He agrees eventually and Lance smiles. They crawl into the fort together, sitting side by side on the plush floor Keith made for them.

It’s warm, it’s cozy, it might not be his family or his team surrounding him in a hug or anything of the like, but it’s nice. And while Keith can easily sit on the other end of the fort, he chooses to sit next to Lance, their arms pressing together from shoulder to elbow. Their hands are almost touching.

“It smells like everyone,” Keith says, eyes falling shut.

“I guess it does, kinda like a big group hug.” Lance agrees and he can’t help but stretch his fingers out, the tips brushing against Keith’s. To his surprise, Keith returns the gesture. 

“I think the last time I built a fort, I was like ten? Veronica helped and we used it to check out her new projector that showed the constellations.” Lance smiles at the memory.

“A girl at the group home I stayed at, she was seventeen I think? She showed me how to build them with the floors.” 

“How old were you?” Lance asks.

“Eleven.” Keith hums.

“She sounds like she was nice.”

“She ran away.” He shrugs. “No one looked for her.”

“Why not?”

“She turned eighteen, no one cared.”

“I don’t think so. Didn’t the parents at the group home care?”

“I took off the next day so, who knows.”

“ _You_ ran away?” Lance looks over to Keith in shock. 

“I did that.” Keith grunts. “I ran a lot.” 

“Why?”

“Why not?” Keith looks at him. “Most of the people who’d foster me would just give me back anyway. It’s easier to run. Easier to not get attached.” Keith looks away and stares up at the top of the fort.

“I’d think that’d be lonely,” Lance says.

“A little. But, you get used to it.”

“Is that why you don’t talk to us? You don’t want to be attached?” He glances over at Keith who winces. _Bingo_.

“It’s okay to lean on us you know? We’re a team.” 

“I… I know. I just don’t know how to.” Keith admits. “Hell, I’m talking to you about it and I don’t know what I’m doing and it’s weird.”

“I think you’re doing a good job, even if it’s just me.” Lance smiles and nudges Keith again. “I appreciate it.”

“Yeah well, I don’t think you should get _too_ used to it.” Keith snorts and his hand comes down and lays over Lance’s. 

They sit in the fort in silence, basking in each other’s company for a while. At some point, Lance rested his head against Keith’s shoulder, his own resting against Lance’s head. He’s fairly certain they took a nap like this because the next second there’s a knock on his door and his mind and body feel sluggish. 

“Lance, come on man, it’s dinner time,” Hunk says from behind the door.

“‘M coming.” Lance grunts and Keith stirs. They both sit up and look at each other, a small connection, a bond, forming. Lance feels settled, at ease, and they both crawl out of the fort with an understanding.

“Hey, if you ever wanna just curl up in the fort again, let me know,” Lance says.

“Figured I wouldn't get my stuff back.” Keith shakes his head and pauses by the door. “...And I’ll remember that.” With that Keith steps out of the room and goes down the hall. 

.o.0.o.

After dinner, Lance retreats to his room. The fort is still up and he crawls into it. But the space feels so much more empty without Keith by his side and he feels more alone than he did before. His body aches and he rests his head back, wrapping his arms around himself to get rid of the feeling.

.o.0.o.

Everyone is trying to figure out what happened to the bedding but Lance says nothing, and thankfully neither does Keith. Allura and Coran find it just as mysterious and make sure everyone gets new bedding.

But Lance does feel guilty about the theft. He stares at the fort and moves to take it down when there’s a knock on his door. 

“Who is it?” 

“...Keith.” He says. Lance lets him in and Keith fidgets in his room, not quite looking at him. 

“You okay?”

“I dunno.” He shrugs and Lance takes him by the wrist, tugging him into the fort. Keith leans against his side heavily, and Lance finds the tightness in his chest loosening, his body relaxing at the feel of another against his. With a second of hesitance, he lifts his arm and Keith spills onto his chest. His arm then drapes itself around Keith. 

Keith shudders once and then goes still under him like a house settling on its foundation. Lance doesn’t mind that Keith is warm almost burning in a fort that too is warm with no proper ventilation. His skin settles, his nerves settle, he settles. 

“Better?” He asks.

“Yeah,” Keith says.

“What’s up?”

“I just... “ He gestures vaguely. 

“Needed to be cuddled?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never…” 

“It’s alright. I’m an amazing cuddle buddy, and you obviously couldn’t get enough of me.” Lance says. Keith moves to get up but Lance keeps him in place. He sighs.

“Don’t tease me.”

“I’m not.” Lance lets him move this time. Keith shifts, getting himself more comfortable against his chest. He watches and when Keith is done moving, he runs his fingers through his hair. 

Lance thinks Keith’s fallen asleep with how quiet he is. He doesn’t mind, the white noise of his breathing is soothing and combing his fingers through Keith’s soft hair is relaxing. When Keith takes a deeper breath, Lance knows he’s going to speak.

“What’s it like?”

“What’s what like?”

“You have a big family right? I saw them in the mind-meld training.”

“I do.”

“What’s it like to have a big family?” Keith tilts his head back and looks at Lance. He takes a moment to _see_ Keith, not just look. Because you can look at people, get an understanding of their basic mannerisms. But _seeing_ people is looking deeper, looking at the why’s and how’s and their thoughts, their wants.

What he sees in Keith is a startling amount of softness under the hard and spiked shell he wears. He sees that Keith _never_ got used to being lonely. He sees how unsure Keith is about letting Lance in, about reaching out, and the fear that comes with being pushed away. He sees Keith and wonders if Keith sees him.

“Well for starters, it’s loud.” Lance smiles and holds him close, telling Keith about the family he misses.

.o.0.o.

He and Keith start regularly meeting in the fort in Lance’s room. They upgrade it with a small fan and a docking station for their tablets and a tiny projector. They spend one night curled up together, eating strange alien snacks and watching some movie they managed to find. It’s honestly the best night Lance has had in a while. 

He also found himself unable to stop staring at Keith’s face lit by the projector’s light, taking in how _handsome_ Keith is. He traces the curve of Keith’s jaw, the slope of his nose, the shape of his lips. He counts at least two small beauty marks on this half of his face, one on the swell of his cheekbone and one on his jaw.

Lance’s skin felt like it was burning where it touched Keith. But he’s never felt more alive.

.o.0.o.

Their touches start to bleed into daily life around the castle. An arm around the shoulders, playful fighting and shoving, high-fives, and quick hugs. His team has noticed it, Hunk making kissy noises when Keith leaves while Pidge pretends to gag in a teasing nature. Shiro and Allura are just glad that the two are getting along while Coran gives Lance a wistful smile.

He tries not to think about it too much. It’s only natural they’re orbiting each other with how much time they curl up in the fort. Lance finally has a sense of home on the castleship and it’s by Keith’s side and it’s not weird!

...Right?

.o.0.o.

Keith’s head is in Lance’s lap as they talk about anything that comes to mind. He shares more about his childhood, Lance learning and understanding more about Keith than before. He finds another beauty mark, very light almost not even there, under his right eye. Lance is realizing why they’re called that now too. And when Keith closes his eyes in contentment, he gets to stare at the way his long dark lashes fan out over his cheeks. 

Would it be too much if he leaned down and kissed him? He swallows at the thought, wondering if the teasing is messing with his head. 

.o.0.o.

They don’t get to use the fort for the next two weeks, too busy with diplomatic issues after freeing another planet. They stay planetside in lovely rooms granted to them. But it makes him antsy, uneasy, twitchy. Keith seems just as on edge, though it’s hard to tell if it’s because of his distrust in strangers or the fort issue as well. Sometimes during the meetings with the leaders, who can’t seem to agree on _anything_ , his hand reaches out and finds Keith’s. 

Their fingers tangle together, holding on and giving them both their sense of stability back. Lance just wishes the thick fabric of their paladin uniforms weren’t in the way.

After heavy discussions that ended nowhere, much to the paladins’ weaning patience, they all disbanded to their own rooms. Keith never lets go of Lance’s hand, and they end up in his room together. Lance pulls Keith into a hug and just holds him, waiting until everything that has been twisted around inside of him smooths back out. Keith does the same, grunting and mumbling about how the armor isn’t as nice as Lance’s shirt and jacket.

They share the bed later too, falling asleep tangled up in one another. It’s the best damn sleep they’ve gotten since coming here.

.o.0.o.

They’re back in the fort, Keith in Lance’s lap, and curled around him while Lance rubs at his back. Keith makes some sort of joke that has Lance laughing, the guy being genuinely funny when he finally lets you in. Keith leans back and laughs too and Lance realizes _how much_ he wants to kiss Keith. 

_Oh._ This is why Hunk and Pidge have upped their teasing. This is why Allura has relaxed more around him and Coran nudging the two together. This is why Shiro has been smirking at the pair.

_Oh no_. He thinks, trying to look back and figure out when this stopped being holding each other for the sake of comfort, the sake of their mental health and became more charged with… with…

_He’s in love with Keith_. He thinks as he watches Keith throwing his head back and laughing, as he finds another pair of beauty marks along his neck like a snake bite, as he finds Keith setting his hands on Lance’s shoulders and smiling back down at him. 

“What?” Keith asks, nervously tucking his hair behind an ear. “Why are you staring at me like that?” 

“You’re handsome.” Lance murmurs. Keith blinks, eyes wide, and then glances away.

“Yeah, the training bot hit your head good.” He tries to get out of Lance’s lap but stays when he holds him in place.

“I’m serious,” Lance says. And maybe Keith does _see_ him because he stares at Lance, eyes boring deep into his own. Keith’s jaw flexes, hands sliding down his shoulders to his chest. He wonders if Keith can feel the way his heart is pounding against his palms.

“...Can I kiss you?” He asks.

“Why?” Keith asks back.

“I want to, but I want you to want it,” Lance whispers.

“I…” Keith hesitates.

“You can say no.” 

“Maybe… maybe not right now?” Keith answers. Lance nods. 

“Okay.” He says, pulling Keith back down and hiding his face in his chest. “Okay.” He murmurs into the shirt.

.o.0.o.

He wants to hold and kiss Keith. _God,_ he wants to kiss Keith. But Lance’s mama raised him properly so he doesn’t push Keith. He waits patiently. He continues to hold him in their fort even though it burns him up on the inside. He hugs him and holds his hand and wants to kiss him. He wonders if Marco felt this way towards his wife. If Raquel ever felt this way to a boy or Luis and Veronica to a girl. He wonders if his mama and dad feel like this.

He’s supposed to be watching a movie right now with Keith, but he can’t focus on it. He’s hyper-aware of Keith’s body melded to his side, his arm over Keith’s shoulder. And when Keith takes a deep breath, it’s to speak. 

“What are we?” He asks.

“What do you mean?”

“We cuddle, we have movie nights together, we hold hands.” Keith sits up a bit and Lance mourns the loss. “It feels like stuff couples do.”

“Do you want to be a couple?” Lance looks at him. 

“Is it that easy?”

“Yes and no. Relationships still need work from both people, but I think loving you is easy.” He says and pauses. Oh. He really said that, didn’t he? Keith stares at him for a while. 

“...I want you to be my boyfriend, Keith. But only if you want to. You can say no.” 

“...And if I say yes?”

“Then we’re a couple and that would answer your earlier question of what we are?”

“Would we kiss?”

“If you wanted to, I’d be willing.” Lance nods. Keith huffs a soft laugh.

“Fine. Kiss me, ask me out, and then let’s restart this movie because I haven’t paid _any_ attention.”

And Lance does. 

He may still miss his family and their warmth, their noise, their hugs, but it’s better now. He has Keith to hold, to love, to kiss. He feels at home and feels complete. And maybe when this is all over he can finally show his family on Earth the family he’s made in space, with Keith by his side.


End file.
